Attendees at the second Is She Safe? gathering hosted by the Catholic Mission Perth Office discuss human trafficking and how they can contribute to solutions. Photo: Rachel Curry

By Rachel Curry

The powerful message that every person can make a difference in the fight against human trafficking has inspired more than 70 attendees at the second Is She Safe? gathering hosted by the Catholic Mission Perth Office.

Held on Tuesday, 11 October to coincide with the International Day of the Girl-Child, the event at St Thomas More College brought together experts and everyday supporters to advocate against the trafficking of humans and recognise the life changing benefits of girl-child education.

According to Catholic Mission, human trafficking is the second biggest illegal enterprise in the world, after the illegal arms trade, and Australia is a prime destination for people trafficked from countries such as India, Thailand, Korea, the Philippines and Malaysia.

These people – who are often poor and vulnerable – are trafficked for servitude, slavery, debt bondage and organ harvesting, through forced labour in many industries including the sex industry, building industry, hospitality industry and fishing industry, in private homes and through forced marriage.

The fight against this exploitative and abusive practice seems like a daunting task, but Sister Margaret Ng RSJ from the Josephite Counter-Trafficking Project told attendees at the event that they should not feel hopeless…

Read current and past issues of the JEDO Newsletter here, and catch up on the social justice work of the Justice, Ecology and Development Office within the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth. Continue Reading

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